Onslow is a coastal town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 1,386 kilometres (861 mi) north of Perth.

[4][5][6] Wool continued to be the major industry for the next eighty years, despite the extremes of drought and flood that characterize the region and are related to the passage or absence of cyclones.

This led the state government in 1923 to develop a new town and jetty 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east at Beadon Point.

[16][20][21] These cyclones brought heavy rain and destructive winds to Onslow, resulting in flooding and damage to buildings.

[20] A major long-term drought between 1935 and 1941, during which time only one cyclone hit (in April 1937) and did not produce rain on the inland sheep stations, led to a decline in Onslow's fortunes.

Destructive wind gusts of 231 kilometres per hour (144 mph; 64 m/s) were recorded during the cyclone, which bent telephone poles, leaving them parallel with the ground.